Book Review and Giveaway: The Darlings by Cristina Alger

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The Darlings cover imageHere’s a review of a book I recommend for moms, and I have one copy to give away. Just leave a comment by midnight (PST), Tuesday, March 13 for a chance to win a copy of The Darlings by Cristina Alger. U.S. and Canadian addresses only please. (Please note: the giveaway is closed. Congratulations to Michelle on winning.) Here’s my review:

The Darling family of Manhattan seems to have everything: good looks, money, excellent taste in the things that matter, and a bright future. But when a close associate of Carter Darling commits suicide, the façade that was holding that future together starts to fall apart. Suddenly there’s talk of investor fraud, an SEC investigation and possible criminal charges. Everyone in the family—Carter and his wife, their two daughters and sons-in-law—stands to lose. Will their fierce loyalty to family help them through the crisis, or can they even trust each other now?

The Darlings by Cristina Alger is a fascinating look at the financial crisis of 2008 as seen through the eyes of wealthy investment bankers and lawyers as well as the secretaries who work for them and the journalists who write about them. As the story unfolds, readers get a behind-the-scenes look at the relationships and actions that could lead smart people to do things that were not so smart just to hold onto their lifestyles.

The lifestyle of the very wealthy is on display—lavish purchases, vacation homes, and charity fundraisers that are more about the women organizing them than the cause are all part of the story. That alone is fun to read about, but it’s also interesting to get a peek into the lifestyles of the working class Manhattanites and the reasons they keep living in the city.

Author Cristina Alger knows what she’s writing about. As a native New Yorker, she graduated from Harvard and NYU Law School, then worked as an analyst and attorney before becoming an author. In her novel, she shows she is also skilled at telling a good story. And while keeping track of all the players in the action was sometimes a challenge, it was worth it when it all came together at the end with nearly every character playing a critical role in the outcome.

Check back tomorrow when I feature an essay by Cristina Alger about her mother’s influence on her reading and writing.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book to review.

Interview With Meredith Zeitlin, Author of Freshman Year and Other Unnatural Disasters

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Meredith Zeitlin photoYesterday I posted a review of Meredith Zeitlin’s new book, Freshman Year and Other Unnatural Disasters. Today, she’s here to talk about the writing life and her spunky heroine, Kelsey Finkelstein.

How did you know you wanted to be a writer?

MZ: I’ve always just been one, really—since I was very little. I come from a family of writers and readers, and books were always everywhere. It sort of came naturally, I think. But my aunt Rhea (Kohan) is a novelist, and her books are hilarious. She definitely inspired me to try my hand at an actual book.

Why do you like to write fiction for young adults?

MZ: I guess I’m sort of a young adult myself, still; I’m a person who spends a great deal of time in PJ pants, watching cartoons and dyeing my hair crazy colors, after all. And I have never forgotten how it feels to be that age, and all the insecurities and excitements that go with it. I still feel them! I connect to tweens and teens really easily out in the real world—better than I do with a lot of “grown-ups,” if you want to know the truth. And while I love books in general, there’s something about literature that’s both nostalgic for adults and relatable for kids that’s really appealing to me.

What do you like best about being a writer?

MZ: Honestly, I just love putting words together. Making crisp or crunchy sentences that will maybe make someone else laugh, or think, or disagree… It’s so satisfying when you get it right.

What do you find most difficult?

MZ: Actually sitting down and doing it. I am the world’s worst procrastinator!

Tell us two interesting things that readers may not know about you.

MZ: Hmmm. Well, I’m a voiceover artist in my “real life,” so you might’ve heard me on commercials before you ever heard of my book—I’ve been doing that for almost a decade now. (You can check out www.mzspeaks.com if you’re interested in seeing my reels.) “The Music Man”—the original version, obv—is my very favorite movie musical. I love horseback riding. I can juggle. What else? I could easily live on ice cream. I’m learning to play guitar. (I’m not very good.) Oh—I have a pink flatscreen TV! It rules. Is that too many?

In Freshman Year and Other Unnatural Disasters, Kelsey is determined to change her image when she becomes a freshman. Do you think it’s hard for teens to change the way others perceive them?

MZ: I think it’s hard for anyone to change how he or she is perceived, really. What might make it even harder for teens, though, is that they’re still in the process of actually forming that first “not a kid anymore” version of themselves. How do they change something that is still so tenuous, especially when everyone around them is doing it, too? At the same time, it’s also a chance to try lots of different hats on—which can be exciting and confusing. I think the truth is, the only person who is REALLY noticing those big changes at that time in your life… is yourself. And you’re really the one you’re trying so hard to impress, even though it seems the other way around. You just don’t realize it til it’s all over, do you?

What do you think is particularly challenging for teens making the transition from middle school to high school?

MZ: I think the biggest change is going from being kings of middle school to getting stuck on the lowest rung on the high school totem pole. Kids who are used to being in charge simply by virtue of their age, no matter what their social standing, are suddenly the babies again, and that’s a scary position to be in. Feeling insecure can lead teens to make some choices in an attempt to solidify their position in a new place. Sometimes those are beneficial choices… but sometimes they aren’t.

Kelsey suffers quite a few embarrassing moments, yet she keeps her sense of humor through it all. Did you always imagine she would be so resilient?

MZ: Well, Kelsey is based on me and my experiences, so I guess the answer has to be yes, simply because that’s what I’m like. But a more complex answer is that I wanted her to be an example for young readers—to see that it’s okay to get knocked down, and that sometimes it can make you stronger.  It’s really important and so incredibly hard to achieve high self esteem at any age, but especially for tweens and teens. The pressure is enormous to fit in and succeed and look a certain way… I certainly struggled with it myself. Even Kelsey spends a lot of time with a million thoughts in her head, doubting her choices and (especially after the incident with Sam at the party) thinking bad things about herself. Kels is really lucky to have a supportive network of people in her life, which helps her keep her chin up and keep trying. I purposefully gave her a lot of obstacles so that readers could see her come out the other side, no matter how hard it was for her to do it. I think that any way I—or any writer—can get the message to teens that it’s okay to make mistakes, that NO ONE is perfect, that everything can be a learning experience… is worth exploring.

What do you think is an important issue brought up in the book that book club members may want to talk about?

MZ: Well, I hope there are a few! 😉  I think the various character relationships are really important, especially how some of them change over the course of the book—particularly within Kelsey’s group of friends. Another issue that’s come up a lot is the amount of “bad stuff” in the book—drinking, sex, peer pressure, etc. These are all important things for moms and daughters to try to talk about, however uncomfortable it might be. Do the daughters think the portrayal of a typical high school was realistic? Are the moms surprised/relieved/horrified by their answers? What about the different ways those elements are responded to by Kelsey and her friends? Which girl has the “right” idea?

Do you have anything else to add for readers at Mother Daughter Book Club. com?

MZ: Thank you so much for checking out this interview, and hopefully the book as well! The main reason I wrote this book, ultimately, was to put another character out in the world that would make some girl somewhere think: “Ok. I’m not the only one. I don’t have to be perfect, and I can still totally get through this high school craziness.” And I think that girl’s mom would want her to get that message, too.

www.kelseyfinkelstein.com

@zeitlingeist on Twitter

www.facebook.com/FRESHMANYEARBOOK

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Book Review: Freshman Year and Other Unnatural Disasters by Meredith Zeitlin

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Freshman Year and Other Unnatural Disasters cover imageAs she heads into high school, Kelsey is determined to change the way people see her. It’s not that she doesn’t already have a lot going for her already—including great friends and pretty good looks—but she wants to kick things up a notch. But right away, things don’t turn out quite like she planned.

She makes an enemy of her soccer captain, gets into a conflict with one of her best friends, botches her first kiss and fights often with her mom. And someone on the photography staff of the school newspaper seems to have it out for her, because photos of her in embarrassing positions keep showing up in print.

Through every setback, Kelsey is even more determined to make things better. You’ll admire her spunk, her sense of humor and her tenacity, even when she’s being what her mom calls a Typical Adolescent.

Issues to talk about in mother-daughter book clubs include handling conflicts with friends, first dates and kisses, mother-daughter relationships, and underage drinking and drug use. I recommend it for mother-daughter book clubs with girls aged 14 and up.

Click here to watch the book trailer. Also, you may want to check back tomorrow when I’m featuring a great interview with author Meredith Zeitlin. In it she talks about why she likes to write fiction for young adults, issues you can discuss in a book club and lots more.

You may also want to visit Read These Books and Use Them on Monday for a review and giveaway.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book to review.

Mother-Daughter Book Club Game: Trivia Questions

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Playing games before you start a book club discussion is a good way to get everyone to loosen up and have a little fun before you settle down to talk about the book. A fun and easy game to create is a list of trivia questions based on what you read.

Here are a few things to keep in mind as you create your questions:

  • Keep it fun. No one wants to feel like they’re in a classroom taking a pop quiz while the teacher waits to collect them.
  • Don’t be too obvious, like asking the name of the author of the book. But don’t be too hard either. If the questions all focus on obscure details, your members will lose interest.
  • Keep it short. Ten to 15 questions is a good amount to consider. Anything shorter doesn’t make much of an activity; longer can get too tiresome.
  • Read the questions out loud and either take turns answering or let book club members shout out the answers.

When you’re done, give everyone an A+ for effort and transition into your book discussion right away.

Book Review: The Queen of Kentucky by Alecia Whitaker

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The Queen of Kentucky cover imageRicki Jo is determined to move from a plain old country girl into popular, sophisticated Ericka when she starts 9th grade at her local public high school. She figures there will be lots more opportunities at the larger school than the small, Catholic school she attended through 8th grade.

Right away she makes friends with a few popular girls and she feels she has to start changing to keep up with her new group, particularly since good-looking David Wolfenbaker (Wolf) hangs out with them too. As she morphs into “Ericka 2.0,” she begins to wonder if she can keep what she likes most about her old self while also becoming someone different.

The Queen of Kentucky by Alecia Whitaker will resonate with anyone who has ever felt the desire to change her circumstances. Ricki Jo is a down-to-earth girl who is best friends with her neighbor Lucas and who spends time working to help out around her farm, even if she doesn’t feel like it. Ericka wears more stylish clothes, studies hairstyles and advice columns in Seventeen magazine, and will do things she’s uncomfortable with if it means going along with the crowd.

It’s not easy for her to keep up: her new friends are wealthier than she is, which means they spend money more freely on clothes and entertainment. Ericka goes back and forth between feeling like she’s making friends and feeling like they’re making fun of her. Plus, she finds herself ignoring all the crass remarks Wolf makes just because she’s dazzled by his good looks.

As she navigates the halls of her high school, Ricki Jo makes some mistakes, but she also gets a better feeling for what’s important to her. I liked that each of the characters was nuanced, and didn’t fall into a stereotype. Wolf has a lot of bad points, but Ricki Jo can also see some of the good points and vulnerabilities he tries to hide. Some of her new girlfriends seem shallow much of the time, but they also show they’re capable of being there for her when times are rough.

While the outcome at the end of The Queen of Kentucky may not be a mystery, the journey to get there goes down as easy as a glass of ice tea on a hot day. Ricki Jo is a protagonist you can root for, identify with and ultimately cheer on. I recommend it for mother-daughter book clubs with girls aged 13 and up.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book for review.

Book Review: Giants Beware by Rafael Rosado and Jorge Aguirre

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Giants Beward cover imageClaudette has heard the legend of how the baby-toe-eating giant was banished to the far-away mountain by the marquis of her town so he could never terrorize them again. Longing for adventure, she believes the giant should have been killed, and she thinks she’s the one to do it. Together with her brother, an aspiring chef and swordmaker, and princess-in-the-making Marie, she sets off to slay the giant and make her village secure.

Giants Beware, a new graphic novel written by Rafael Rosado and Jorge Aguirre, melds the dynamics of a medieval village with the sensibilities of people today to create a new kind of fairy tale that’s funny, irreverent and wholly enjoyable. As the children go about their adventure they have to face challenges from human-eating trees, a hag who wants to cook children so she can break the spell that’s been put on her to ruin her looks, and a river king made of water who’s searching for a princess to marry his fishy son. Each of them finds strengths they didn’t know they had to come to the aid of their friends.

When they reach their destination these pint-sized heroes find something surprising that will change their view of their perceived enemy. Adults as well as children aged 8 and up will have fun reading Giants Beware. The story is cleverly told and the illustrations, particularly the facial expressions of each character, are fun to look at.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book to review.

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Book Review: B by Sarah Kay

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B cover imageSarah Kay has been a performing poet since she was 14-years-old. At 22, she is now a slam poet who wrote a powerful note of love for an unborn daughter.

First performed at TED (Technology, Entertainment, and Design), “B” opens with the lines, “If I should have a daughter, instead of mom, she’s going to call me Point B. Because that way she knows that no matter what happens at least she can always find her way to me.”

In her poem, Kay tells her daughter she will always be there to help with the heartache that is sure to come from life. She also wants her daughter to know that she should never stop believing, never stop hoping, and never stop loving. It has been called a “thank you note, love letter, wish, promise, confession, and a secret.” All this from one small poem that can be read or listened to in minutes.

I encourage you to watch Kay’s performance (http://www.ted.com/talks/sarah_kay_if_i_should_have_a_daughter.html), which is compelling, but you can also get a copy of the book, which will let you keep it always and read aloud to your own daughter. The slim volume includes beautiful, yet simple black-and-white illustrations by Sophia Janowitz,

The author provided me with a copy of this book to review.

Book Review: Camilla by Madeleine L’Engle

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Camilla cover imageAs the prelude to her guest book review for Camilla by Madeleine L’Engle, author Christina Hamlett (authorhamlett.com) says, “Don’t let the title fool you – it’s not about Prince Charles’ wife or Gonzo’s chicken girlfriend.” Read on to see what Christina says about this lesser known L’Engle classic.

Title: Camilla
Author: Madeline L’Engle
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (2009)
Reviewer: Christina Hamlett

There’s a wonderful line in “The Lion in Winter” in which Eleanor of Aquitaine candidly remarks to her husband, “I don’t much like our children.” Similar sentiments – yet this time spoken of parents – underscore the coming of age themes inherent in Madeline L’Engle’s “Camilla,” a book originally released in 1951.

The intrepid teen heroine, born and raised in a life of privilege on New York’s Upper East Side, has learned that not only is her beautiful mother a weak and flawed creature, but that she also expects Camilla’s unconditional love and loyalty to sustain her when her marriage threatens to unravel. Many of the uncanny parallels to my own parents’ relationship with each other and with me made the unfolding of events completely plausible. Even the mother’s messy attempt at suicide is not so much a reflection of despair about her transgressions as it is a calculated move to maintain the status quo and induce guilt on the part of her husband if he proceeds with any plans to divorce her. Juxtaposed against this backdrop of marital disharmony is Camilla’s latest balancing act between her manic-depressive best friend, Luisa, and Luisa’s older brother, Frank, an intellectual who doesn’t just encourage Camilla’s dreams; he also leads her to believe that he just might be a long-term part of them. Given the era in which the book was penned, the reasons behind Frank’s state of conflicted distance are played so subtly that starry-eyed readers the same age as Camilla are likely not to decipher them.

Although this story transpires a few years after WWII, L’Engle has effortlessly captured some of the timeless themes of youth, especially the questioning of authority, curiosity about the existence of God, and the mixed messages and double standards that so often govern adult behavior. This also returns us to the issue of love versus like when it comes to defining feelings about our families. Luisa – an aspiring shrink – is the perfect psychoanalyzing vehicle to get Camilla to admit that although she loves her parents because there’s an unwritten obligation to do so, her mother isn’t someone she really likes, much less respects. It thus raises an interesting question of whether we’d seek out the company of any of our kith and kin if we weren’t related to them.

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